Can't Stop Binge Eating? Maybe Restriction Is To Blame
Binge-eating is often thought of as merely a compulsion or a lack of willpower. In fact, binge-eating is a natural, physiological response to food restriction. The human brain is primed for survival. Dieting and restriction are perceived by the body as famine or starvation, thus setting the stage for bingeing in order to restore the nutrients, calories, and electrolytes that were previously deprived.
By: Sadie Grant
Why do I think about food so often?
Why can’t I just stop eating?
Why do I eat past the point of feeling sick?
If you have ever experienced binge-eating or binge eating disorder, you may have asked yourself one or more of the above questions.
Unfortunately, in the United States, our society is full of messages that weight gain, indulgence, and emotional eating are to be greatly feared, and that the cure-all solution to just about everything is to be thin and beautiful. Maybe you have also found yourself saying:
I ate sooo much tonight. So tomorrow I am going to be good and do a juice cleanse, or, if I stop eating gluten, sugar, and dairy, I will finally gain control over my life, or, I still feel full from yesterday. Today I am going to fast until supper.
But what happens when supper comes around? What happens when you “slip up”, or eat a “forbidden” food, or take a bite of something delicious?
Today, we are going to talk about one of the most common causes of binge-eating: restriction. We will review the signs and symptoms of binge eating disorder, discuss the dangers of diet culture, and explore the physical and emotional connections between restriction and bingeing.
What is Binge-Eating?
Binge eating disorder (BED) is the most common eating disorder in the United States and is characterized by recurrent episodes of overeating that are not followed by compensatory behaviors (such as purging). Individuals with binge eating disorder often experience feelings of disgust or shame, and may gain weight as a result of their eating patterns. Common characteristics of binge eating disorder include but are not limited to:
Eating an excessive amount of food in a short period of time (i.e., one day’s worth of food in one sitting)
Eating while not feeling hungry
Feeling guilt or shame before, during, or after eating
Eating unusually quickly
Feeling a lack of control while eating
Experiencing food as a relief from stress or anxiety
Many individuals also experience binge-eating episodes, or discrete periods of time during which they eat an unusually large amount of food. Though they may not have full-threshold binge eating disorder, people who experience binge-eating episodes may also encounter feelings of shame and disgust regarding their behavior.
How Might Diet Culture Play a Role in Binge-Eating?
Our society is dominated by messages that thinness, clean eating, and beauty generate happiness. One can hardly scroll through a social media page without encountering images of photoshopped celebrities, dieting tips, or clean-keto-paleo-vegan-fat free cooking inspo. Even our doctors prescribe weight loss, which, by the way, is absolutely not a cure.
A person with binge eating disorder, who may be experiencing weight gain, feelings of shame, or a sense of hopelessness, can be especially vulnerable to these types of messages. Therefore, dieting often becomes a method to try to “solve” the problem, or a means to try to achieve weight loss. People with BED commonly try diet fads such as fasting, juicing, and cutting out certain food groups, and may even experience significant weight loss.
However, dieting almost never produces long-lasting results. In fact, research shows that dieting can make us more likely to binge eat. When we restrict our food intake, we indicate to our bodies that we are at risk of going into starvation mode. The physical and psychological effects of restriction can confuse our hunger cues, intensify our thoughts about food, increase feelings of depression and anxiety, and therefore make us more likely to binge.
Thus, creating the vicious, “yo-yo”, binge-restrict cycle.
What Are Some of the Core Reasons That Restriction Can Cause Us to Binge?
Restriction can heighten feelings of depression. Nutrition is implicated in the emotional centers of the brain. When we restrict food intake, we can become more easily depressed, irritable, and anxious. These feelings can increase the chances of a binge episode, as eating can become a coping mechanism for unpleasant emotions.
Restriction usually leads to obsessive thoughts about food. When we restrict, we cue our bodies to prepare for starvation mode, which often means constantly thinking about food. People who under-eat often dream about food, take up cooking, or spend excessive time looking at pictures or videos of food. These obsessive thought patterns can keep us in an unhealthy relationship with food and make us more likely to binge.
Restriction can increase irrational thinking. The malnourished brain can have difficulty making judgments. When someone is in a pattern of restriction, for example, they may take one bite of chocolate and think, now I am fat, or now I am worthless. This type of all-or-nothing thinking can increase the likelihood of a binge episode, as one small “slip-up” can feel like complete failure and disruption.
Restriction causes food cravings, especially for sugars and fats. These biologically driven cravings do not subside until a person can eat a nutrient and calorie-dense diet.
Restriction can impair hunger cues. Our brains naturally motivate us to eat when we are hungry. When we restrict, we rewire our brain to override hunger cues, thus making it more difficult to determine when our bodies are actually hungry.
At BALANCE eating disorder treatment center, our compassionate, highly skilled team of clinicians is trained in diagnosing and treating the spectrum of eating disorders, including anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, compulsive overeating, and other disordered eating behaviors and body image issues.
Our admissions team would be happy to answer any questions you may have about our programs and services. Book a free consultation call with our admissions team below or read more about our philosophy here.
This post was written by BALANCE Blog Intern, Sadie Grant.
Sadie Grant, BA is a dietary aide at an eating disorder and addiction recovery center in Portland, Maine. She is passionate about eating disorder awareness, body neutrality, and dismantling beauty standards that are established by social and cultural norms. Sadie has a BA in psychology from Oberlin College and plans to pursue an MSW. She is excited to continue to work in the field of eating disorders and hopes to address the way in which expectations around eating and beauty vary across different populations.
References
The Effects Of Under-Eating. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://eating-disorders.org.uk/information/the-effects-of-under-eating/
McGuire, J. (2017, October 23). Challenging the Yo-Yo Dieting Cycle in Binge Eating Disorder. Retrieved from https://www.eatingdisorderhope.com/blog/yo-yo-dieting-binge-eating-disorder
New Study Explains How Those With Eating Disorders Can Override Hunger Cues. (2018, February 21). Retrieved from https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/blog/new-study-explains-how-those-eating-disorders-can-override-hunger-cues